Believe In Me
by ToujoursMiraculous
Summary: After seeing the trailer & sneak peek clips for Chameleon (Season 3, Episode 1) I decided I needed to write what could happen after it cuts off. Marinette's world seems to be going crazy right now!


If you haven't seen the clips, you can still read this and understand as I wrote what happens in them at the beginning to make it easier for you guys, but **if you don't want spoilers, walk away now!**

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Today definitely made the list for top worst days ever. Yet, the good that resulted from the bad was truly irreplaceable to Marinette.

She walked into class that morning, greeted with her classmates sitting in the wrong spot. Her seat was taken by Alya, and Alya's by Nino. The seat next to Adrien was now vacant.  
So it was pretty safe to assume that seat was meant for her.

She ran around the far edge of the classroom, hoping not to be noticed by Adrien.

"How did you do that, Alya? I can't believe it! You changed everyone's seats so I could sit next to Adrien!" she whispered excitedly to her best friend.

Alya stared, confused.

"But it's a bad idea," she continued. "I won't be able to focus in class, and if I fail, it'll be a total disaster! Adrien and I will never have our house, three kids, a hamster, and…"

"Whoa, girl!" Alya interrupted, holding a hand out for her to stop. "What are you talking about? You won't be sitting next to Adrien, you'll sit over there," she glanced at the very back of the class, at the only completely empty desk.

Marinette leaned onto the desk. "Back there? But why? What happened?"

"Dude, she has hearing problems, so she couldn't sit back there, right?" Nino cut in. "So she needed to sit in the front."

"That's why Ivan's sitting with Mylene, Nath with Alex. And she was the one that suggested Nino sit here, so we could spend more time together," said Alya.

"Who is 'she'?" Marinette asked.

Before Alya could answer, Ms. Bustier entered the room.

"Good morning everyone, as you know, Lila's returned from her trip to Achu, and is back at school with us!"

"Hello guys!" Lila greeted with a wave.

"Hello Lila!" the class greeted back.

"Oh, a seat in the front row! You remembered that I can't hear very well, you're all so sweet!" she blew kisses at the class before taking her seat next to Adrien.

"You can't hear well, Lila?" asked Marinette suspiciously.

"No, I suffer from Tinnitus. A constant buzzing in my left ear. My eardrum exploded due to the sound of the engine of a plane that was on the track when I rescued Jagged Stone's cat," Lila held her hands over her heart, as if recollecting the incident.

"Jagged Stone has a crocodile," stated Marinette.

"He does _now_ , but previously, he had a cat before he discovered he was allergic," in the same breath, she continued, "That's great that you're such a great student, Adrien, you'll be able to help me catch up in the subjects I missed out on while I was traveling. Can I count on your help?"

"Of course, Lila," Adrien answered, feeling a bit uncomfortable by Lila's proximity.

Marinette huffed. "Ms. Bustier, why do I have to sit in the last row?"

"Don't you hear and see well, Marinette?"

"Uhh," she said nervously.

Adrien started to stand. "I see and hear well. I can sit in the back, both of them can sit in the front. I don't mind - "

"No!"  
"No!" Marinette and Lila screamed together.

"My return is causing so many problems. Maybe I should've stayed on the other side of the world. If Marinette doesn't agree, I'll go back there," she stood up sadly, milking as much sympathy from the class as she could. "It's okay."

The class groaned, turning their scowls at Marinette. She glanced around the room and saw their faces, and backed down.

"I actually hear and see well, so…" she scratched the back of her head anxiously.

"Great, it's settled!" Ms. Bustier announced. "Lila, sit back down. Adrien stays where he is, and Marinette in the back row."

Marinette glared down at Lila before trudging off to her seat, alone in the back. She continued glaring at Lila when she saw her touching Adrien's shoulder and giggling. She growled to herself. As she continued to watch Lila stroke Adrien's shoulder, an akuma flew into the classroom, heading straight for Marinette.

Ms. Bustier had called for the class to open their lessons, taking Marinette away from the frustration, allowing her a chance to calm down enough to keep the akuma at bay.

At lunch, Marinette was in line in the cafeteria, getting her food. She overheard Adrien offering Lila a seat and glanced over.

"You don't really believe Lila, do you?" Marinette asked Alya quietly.

"Why wouldn't I?"

She glanced back over at Adrien and Lila, some of her other friends were starting to sit near them. "You don't think she's just too… over-the-top? Think about it, there's no way everything she says she's done is true."

Alya sighed and turned to her friend. "Girl, I realize you don't like that she's going to be sitting by Adrien, but you're going too far. Lila's cool and super nice. If you weren't blinded by jealousy, you'd see that."

"I'm not jealous," Marinette replied firmly, crossing her arms. "I know she's lying, and I don't want my friends being fooled by all her lies."

Her best friend shook her head with disapproval. "I'll see you later. Come on Nino, let's go," she said, shooting Marinette one last look before sitting at the table with nearly the entire class circling Lila, hanging on her every word. As she watched, a couple of her classmates would turn and give her a scowl or disappointed glance.

As if she had just been punched, she felt a sudden pain in her chest, the air suddenly knocked out of her. She ditched her food and headed for the bathroom. Marinette stormed into a stall, slamming the door shut, its creaking echoing throughout the small tiled room. She was alone, apart from Tikki, and for the first time all day, she was glad to be.

She stared down at her lap as she sat. Not crying, but she felt like she was on the brink.

"I don't understand, Tikki," she muttered. "Lila comes back to school and has everyone wrapped around her finger, treating her like royalty, when everything that comes out of her mouth is a lie. They cast me aside when someone new, and who they think is better, came along," Marinette's face scrunched up with pain as a solitary tear fell down her cheek. "Even Adrien…"

Suddenly a dark butterfly flew into the stall, grabbing Marinette's attention.  
She gasped, climbing onto the toilet, backing herself into the corner as the butterfly flew closer.

"Marinette, look out!" Tikki cried as Marinette cringed.

Just when she thought it was too late, she heard another voice in the bathroom.

"Marinette?" asked the familiar voice. Usually when that voice said her name, it was full of bitterness and disdain. Today, it sounded unsure and...concerned? "Marinette, are you in here?" Chloe asked again.

Her emotions calmed enough from the shock, her eyes staring wide at the akuma flying in her face. "Y-Yes," she scrambled off the toilet and out of the stall, the butterfly following her out.

Chloe spotted the akuma immediately. "Shoo!" she screamed, waving her hands to scare it off. "I don't have time for you today!"

Marinette blinked as they watched the akuma fly out of the room. "Thank you for saving me, Chloe."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to make a big deal of it. I can't believe I'm saying this," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "But I need your help."

She raised her eyebrow at the blonde girl.

"You're the only one not mesmerized by that awful Lila girl, and I want her to keep her hands off of Adrikins. Who does she think she is, waltzing in and stealing his attention?"

"So… you know she's lying?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Of course I do! Nobody's that righteous. Not to mention, Jagged Stone never had a cat."

Marinette smiled faintly. "You want me to help you expose her lies?"

"Duh Marinette. So are you in or not?"

"I'm in," she stated, not giving it a second thought. After all, it's what she's been trying to do for weeks now.

The girls exited the bathroom,Tikki having slipped into Marinette's purse the moment Chloe's back was turned.

"I don't see what everyone sees in her, anyway. Her taste in clothing is atrocious. At least you have _some_ taste," added Chloe as she looked Marinette over. "I mean if my mother approved of your design."

Marinette's mouth popped open. "Uhh, thank you," she said, feeling a bit uneasy at the fact Chloe Bourgeois was complimenting her, in her own way.

Marinette went back to the line and grabbed some food before sitting at the only empty table available. Which happened to be near all her friends.

Chloe sat down next to her, pulling out her gourmet lunch Mrs. Cesaire had made for her that morning. "Ridiculous," she muttered as she glared over at everyone, practically worshipping the Italian girl.

Marinette heard the chair next to her move suddenly. She turned to see a blue jeans jacket and black pants. She'd recognize them anywhere. Tilting her head up, she saw Luka's friendly blue eyes and kind smile gazing down at her. "Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked, pointing down at the pulled out chair.

"No, of course not!" she smiled back.

He sat down. "Why is it that whenever we meet, something has you down?" he asked, taking her by surprise. She didn't think she looked upset, thanks to Chloe, strangely enough. But somehow, he still knew of her pain.

Marinette gave him a crooked smile and small shrug.

"You're the kind of person that deserves to be happy. Don't forget that," he wagged his finger at her playfully with a chuckle. Then he noticed Chloe was there at the table. "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Luka, nice to meet you, Chloe," he greeted pleasantly.

Chloe stared at him in silence for just a few moments too long. "Luka? Nice to meet you," she was turned, avoiding eye contact.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Not at all! We can talk about it later," Marinette answered, glancing over at Chloe.

"Yeah, later," she agreed with a quick wave of her hand.

Luka took a look over at the table with her classmates. He saw his sister and Adrien, as well as Juleka's other friends, laughing together. "Why are you two over here alone instead of over there with them?" he wondered.

Marinette didn't meet his eyes as she answered him. "That's sort of the problem. Lila, the girl they're all surrounding, is a compulsive liar. My friends didn't believe me when I tried to warn them. They also had me move to the back of the class, alone, just to accommodate one of her lies. So I'm not on the best of terms with them at the moment."

"I can go talk to my sister if you want? Maybe it's just a misunderstanding," he started to get up, but Marinette grabbed his arm to stop him.

"No, that's okay! They're like under a spell of hers or something. The only way to break it is to prove that she's not telling them the truth. Otherwise they'll assume it's just me being jealous and causing problems."

"Hmm, so what can I do to help?" asked Luka, smiling widely at her.

Chloe couldn't help herself and turned back to Luka. "You want to help us?"

Luka nodded. "If it'll help you," he said to Marinette. "Also, is it just me, or does Adrien look a little uncomfortable?"

The three looked back at their table. He was leaning away from Lila, who seemed to not know the meaning of personal space. The expression on Adrien's face was a cry for help, but not even Nino seemed to notice.

"Poor guy," Luka sighed.

Chloe got to her feet. "I've got things to do before class. We'll talk later," she said before whisking away.

Marinette and Luka laughed at her briskness.

"Is she always like that?" he asked curiously.

She shook her head. "Actually no. I think Lila has her a little out of sorts today. She actually asked me for help."

"So I take it you two aren't friends?"

"No, but I think we're learning how to co-exist, at least," she giggled.

When lunch was over, Luka told her goodbye before they headed off to their classes. Marinette arrived earlier than the others and sat down in her new seat. A few other kids trickled in, their eyes never even flickering to the back of the room.

Adrien walked in, his eyes immediately looking for Marinette. He saw her at lunch with Luka and wanted to go and speak with her, but Lila wouldn't let him leave.

He started up the steps in the classroom, but before he even reached the second row, Lila was next to him, pulling on his arm.

"Where are you going, Adrien? Our seats are over here," she yanked on his arm.

Adrien gently wiggled free. "I was going to go talk to Marinette."

"I wouldn't if I were you," she warned. "She had a fight with her boyfriend during lunch. I don't think she's up for talking to anyone at the moment."

"Boyfriend?" he blinked.

"Yeah, the boy with the ripped jeans and blue hair. Class is going to start soon, and remember you promised me we'd go over the assignment before class started."

Adrien's gaze flickered up towards Marinette. For a second, he felt like walking up those stairs and talking to her anyway, but the fact that Lila would probably cause a scene right before class started back up, after what happened earlier, he thought it best for Marinette's sake to talk to her later. With a sigh, he sat down in his seat.

Chloe came in last, and instead of heading to her usual seat, she walked up the stairs and sat in the empty seat next to Marinette.

The entire class had notice, every pair of eyes on her.

"What are you looking at?" she snapped.

"You… You're sitting next to Marinette," Kim pointed out, as if she wasn't aware. "Willingly."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so?"

Nobody replied, but everyone continued to stare.

"Don't you all have anything better to do?" continued Chloe with sheer annoyance thick in her voice. "Like listen to more of Liar's - oops. I mean, Lila's stories?"

Some of the kids shot her nasty glares before turning back to what they were doing before.

Marinette was staring at her in utter surprise. She didn't expect her to sit with her in class, even if it was just to find a way to expose Lila.

Chloe turned to her, eyebrows raised. Her expression clearly said, "Not you, too!"

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting you to sit by me, where everyone will notice."

Chloe leaned in slightly, making sure nobody overheard. "I got Daddy to look into Lila and her family during lunch. He told me her father's a diplomat, and while he may visit other countries for work, Lila stays here in Paris with her mother. She's never been to the Kingdom of Achu. He also got in contact with Prince Ali. He told me Prince Ali's never even heard of her."

"If we could prove that lie alone, that should make a difference," gasped Marinette.

"Exactly. Which is why Daddy's going to speak to Mr. Damocles about it. But I don't think that's enough. She said she lost her hearing rescuing Jagged Stone's cat, right? You're closest with Jagged, you should ask him if he's ever had a cat."

Marinette pulled her phone out. "Good idea."

Chloe brushed her ponytail off her shoulder.

She texted him the question. Within a few moments, she got a reply back.

" _Always awesome to hear from you, Marinette! My favorite little lady. I've never had a cat, no. They're not quite rock'n'roll enough for me! Haha! But Fang, he's the definition of rock! By the way, I have a proposition for you that Penny and I would like to speak to you about._ "

Marinette handed the phone to Chloe for her to read.

"Perfect! Even better than just answering the question, even."

"Why so?"

Chloe handed the phone back. "Everyone thinks Lila's so cool because of her connections with the Prince, Jagged… but we're the ones that know them, not her. Now we'll have the proof that everyone needs to believe you, and at the same time let her know that she told the wrong lies to the wrong people."

Marinette strangely felt like they were starting to become friends, given her attitude and behavior today.

"Did you really do all of this because of Adrien?"

Chloe blinked. "Why else would I go through all of this trouble?"

Marinette shrugged.

"Okay okay, I guess I also wanted to thank you for helping me with my mother. And for being the one to throw me that party to celebrate Queen Bee," she admitted, her arms and legs both crossed, facing away from her. "Ladybug taught me that being a hero doesn't mean you have to wear a mask to help someone, so…" she trailed off with a wave of her hand.

"Thank you, Chloe," Marinette said sincerely with a grin. Chloe turned back towards her and genuinely smiled back.

"Alright students!" Mrs. Bustier entered the room, calling everyone's attention to the front of the room.

At the end of class, Marinette walked down the steps along with Chloe.

"Marinette!" Adrien stood up, walking in front of her to make sure she'd stop. "Can I talk to you?"

Lila fumed in her seat. "We were going to go to that shop I told you about after school, remember?" she hinted.

Chloe stepped in. "Let the boy breathe, will you? If he wants to speak to Marinette, he has the right."

Adrien smiled at Chloe to show her gratitude and walked out of class with Marinette.

"You know, we're onto you," Chloe warned, venom seeping into her tone. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

Adrien led her all the way outside of the school, looking for a good spot to talk, where Lila couldn't pop in and interfere. He settled for the park on the other side of Marinette's.

"You're not going to lecture me about how I'm wrong, too, are you?" she asked, not meeting his eyes.

Adrien smiled. "Of course not."

Marinette looked up at him, confused. "You're not upset with me... or disappointed in me?"

"No," he answered. "I know she has a tendency for lying. I wasn't sure how much, but I know she's capable. Plus, you seemed very adamant about her lying, so even if I hadn't already known, I would've believed you."

She blushed slightly. "Thank you, Adrien. I wish the others believed me, too. Instead, they put me in the back of the class without asking if I was okay with it. I didn't realize being without my friends would bother me so much. I… was nearly akumatized today because of it," she admitted, looking down at the ground in shame.

Adrien's eyes shrunk in horror. "If you had, it wouldn't have been your fault, Marinette," he said, his voice strained. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Everyone ganged up on you today, when all you were doing was trying to protect them from Lila. If anyone is to blame, besides Hawk Moth, it'd be her. But don't worry, I'll help set things right."

"Really?"

"Of course! Every hero needs help sometimes," he winked. She laughed nervously. "Oh, by the way, I thought I'd check and see if this is a lie, too. Lila told me that…" he trailed off, not sure if he wanted to finish his sentence.

"She told you…?"

Adrien exhaled. "That Luka's your boyfriend. He's not, right? Because of the ice rink, and today at lunch. That was one thing she said that actually seemed like it could be true..."

"N-n-no!" she waved her hands frantically in front of her. "Luka's not my boyfriend. He's a friend of mine who helps me out sometimes, that's all."

"Ah. Okay, that can be another one to add to your list then," he laughed, a faint of awkwardness ringing in it.

"Right," she agreed.

"Anyway, I better head home before Lila spots me. I'll see you tomorrow," he gave her a reassuring smile before walking towards home.

"You have Adrien, Luka, _and_ Chloe on your side! This will be resolved before you know it," Tikki popped out of her bag to say once he had left.

Marinette giggled. "I know, and you don't know how grateful I am for that... I just wish Alya would have believe me, too."

"Don't worry, she'll come around."

Marinette nodded, took a deep breath, and walked the short distance to the Bakery.

The next morning, Marinette received a text to meet her and Adrien over at the park next to her house.  
Instead of heading out through the bakery door like always, she used their other door. She ran across the street and spotted the two chatting with their heads down near the fountain.

"Hi," she greeted them. "What's this about?"

Chloe was wearing her sunglasses, and slid them off her nose enough to peek over the rims. "My daddy talked to Mr. Damocles about Lila and all her missed absences. Her mom's going to be informed about it after he talks about it with her. We won't have long before that happens to show everyone."

"When we confront her about them, there's something I want to make sure I ask her," she told them. "And I'm hoping this will be the one time she tells the truth."

On there way into the class, Luka was outside, waiting.

"Hey guys," he greeted. "Thank you for the call, Adrien."

Adrien nodded, but said nothing. Marinette looked between the two, confused.

They walked in the room, staying up in the front. The kids that were in class couldn't help but wonder what was going on, considering Luka Couffaine, a student two years older than them, was there.

"Luka?" he heard his sister ask from the back of the class. He gave his sister an acknowledging look.

Alya and Nino were the most confused. Adrien and Marinette were talking together, with Chloe of all people.

"What do you think is going on?" Alya asked, her eyes never leaving the group.

"Dunno…"

Lila walked in then, taking her seat. "Adrien! Come sit down," she waved him over eagerly. Adrien ignored her. Her fake smile that was plastered on her face fell quickly. "Adrien, I said come here!"

"I'm busy right now, Lila," he replied, not bothering to glance her way.

The four broke from their little huddle, and stood next to each other in a line in front of Ms. Bustier's desk.

"Ahem!" Chloe cleared her throat. "After the show yesterday regarding Marinette and Lila, since you all need to hear proof that whatever spouts out of this girls mouth is nothing but lies to try and trick you into giving her attention, we decided to go out and get some." Chloe smirked as she picked up a remote that controlled the projector.

"You know how Lila claims to have hearing issues because she rescued Jagged Stone's cat? Jagged Stone has never had a cat. Look at this text message Jagged sent Marinette," she pushed a button and the text appeared on the screen. Chatter started among the students.

"That's… I do have Tinnitus in my ear!" she yelled at Chloe.

"What ear was it again?"

"My right one."

"Didn't you say it was your left?" Adrien asked.

Lila fell silent.

"Little Miss Liar here also said she was away in Achu working with Prince Ali. My father spoke with him, and he had never heard of a Lila Rossi before," continued Chloe. She pulled up a video of her father.

"Ah, hello children. I spoke with Prince Ali of the Kingdom of Achu and he's never heard of a Lila Rossi before. It's also come to my attention that Miss Lila Rossi has an extended length of unexcused absences that, according to my daughter, she claims they're a result of her being out of the country, traveling. I made sure to inform Mr. Damocles, and he was never able to get ahold of Lila's family regarding the matter and find out a legitimate reason. As a benefactor of the school, I'll have to have this matter investigated. If it turns out her story was fabricated, she will be expelled."

Lila trembled in her seat, anger pulsing through her veins, radiating off her skin in waves. A low growl began in the back of her throat.

"But that's not all," Adrien began once Mayor Bourgeois was no longer on the screen. "You let Marinette sit in the back of the class, alone, while you all sat with who you wanted. Did any of you ask how she felt about that?"

Nobody said a word.

"I should have said more yesterday than just offering her my seat," he continued. "And I'm really sorry I didn't. Marinette insisted Lila was lying, and instead of believing her, someone who's always been there for you, you believed a girl with extravagant stories, whom you barely know. As her friends, we're supposed to know her character, and know she doesn't lie. We owe it to her to trust her instead of jumping to conclusions."

"I really haven't known Marinette that long," Luka cut in, "but I do know her heart. She'd never go after someone for purely selfish reasons."

"And if this isn't enough, Marinette almost got akumatized yesterday. You've all been akumatized, some of you even remember what it's like, or have seen yourself attacking Paris in news footage. Don't you want to protect her from ever having to go through that?"

The class hung their heads. Alya was the only one to stand up from her seat. Her expression was pained, her eyes glistening.

"I'm so sorry, Marinette. I should've stuck up for you when Lila suggested that Nino sit with me. I just liked the idea of sitting with him, and I wanted to help out Lila so I thought you'd be okay with it. I shouldn't have moved you to sit alone without asking how you felt about it first. I'm really, really sorry."

Marinette smiled and held out her arms for a hug. Alya rushed up and embraced her best friend. "I also shouldn't have assumed you were just jealous because of Adrien and believed you when you said she was lying," she added quietly in her ear. "Will you forgive me?"

"Of course I will, you're my best friend after all!"

Mr. Damocles walked in the room. "Lila Rossi, I need to see you in my office right now. Make sure to take your things," he informed her sternly.

Lila glowered at the five standing in front of the class, the most piercing look in her eyes. "I won't forget this," she hissed.

"Wait!" Marinette called. "Why would you go through all this trouble? Did you not think you could make friends with us if you were just yourself?"

Lila turned on her heels, a wicked smile playing on her lips. "Who said I'm not being myself?"

Then she bolted out of the room, followed by Mr. Damocles.

The class started to rush out their apologies to Marinette and she could barely make out a single one individually.  
"We're so sorry!" she heard one say.

"We should've never believed her over you."

"To think you almost got _akumatized_ because of us!" she heard someone cry.

"Hey, hey!" she motioned for them to calm down. "I know you guys are good people, and you all have your faults. I appreciate that you're apologizing, and I accept them all. I just need to know that you guys know I will always have your best interests at heart, because I care about each and every one of you. I may not be perfect, nor am I selfless, but I'd never do anything intentionally to hurt anyone, especially not all of you. If it may seem that way, please believe I have my reasons."

"Of course we will," Adrien spoke for them. She looked at her classmates as they nodded their heads. "You're our everyday Ladybug after all." 

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I'd love to hear your comments! x3 Obviously I wrote this in a very short amount of time and wanted to make sure it got put up a couple of days before the actual episode premieres, so please excuse any errors of any kind. xD

If you'd like to follow me on tumblr, you can find me **toujoursmiraculous**


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